A teenager in a small Michigan town made headlines last week when popular classmates thought it would be a hilarious prank to nominate her - an outcast - for homecoming princess.

Outrage spread, a Facebook page of support was started and people in the community rallied behind the bullied girl, donating her dress, hairdo, makeup and nails for that night.

In the small farming community of Linden, the annual homecoming tradition also plucked at the heartstrings of the community.

The tug was not one of pain, though, but one of joy, when senior C.J. Newman, who was diagnosed at 2 with autism, was elected as the school's homecoming king last month.

"I wouldn't use the word surprised. I'd say people were elated," said parent Clay Titus, one of hundreds of people who stood and cheered the announcement at the Sept. 14 game against Riverbank. "They felt proud about their community. I think a lot of them felt good about their kids, that if their kid wasn't chosen as king, their kids supported him."

Students voted for Newman because he's overcome the challenge of autism to become a much-loved student at Linden High School.

"I think it says that C.J. has the type of personality and friendships with students that are highly valued in teenagers," said Richard Schmidig, principal of the 710-student school. "I think it also says C.J.'s genuine personality, how pure he is, for lack of a better word, is noticed by faculty and students."

Or, as Daniel Titus, a standout football player noted, "I don't know anyone who doesn't like C.J."

Actually, there are some kids on campus who take delight in hurting him, because there are jerks and mean people everywhere.

"Some people didn't like me much," Newman said. "I really think that some people would be bullies, but I had the courage to stand firm against them."

By that, he means he learned to walk away, rather than lose his temper, when confronted by those students.

He can distinguish good-natured teasing from cruelty.

"Some people would think we're messing with him," Titus said of the football players. "We ask random stuff at practice, like who's the 32nd president, and he says the name and the years he was president. He's a good sport about it."

Treatment by the players is all in fun, largely because of Titus, who stepped in when other players began hassling Newman in the locker room during their freshman year of football.

Part of it was Titus' admiration of Newman learning to play football. Part of it was a compassion for others.

"My parents told us not to see anyone as different, to treat everyone like you want to be treated," Titus said.

Now a senior captain on the football team, a class officer and popular student, Titus articulates a more mature explanation.

"I feel like as a captain on the football team, my being friends with C.J. and treating him like everyone else, other kids won't treat him bad," Titus said. "And I think, 'What if I had a son who was autistic?' I don't want my kid to dread going to school every day. That's the perception I think of."

Far from dreadful, Newman's high school experiences have exceeded the hopes of his parents, Curtis and Paula.

"When you find out that your kid has autism or anything like that, (you) weren't sure what that meant," Curtis Newman said. "Would he be able to dress himself? What did that mean?"

It meant being patient, and teaching him to control his anger, and being grateful that unlike many with autism who avoid human contact, their son loves to hug people.

"He's a sweet kid and he makes us happy on a daily basis," Curtis Newman said. "He has a sweet spirit. He makes me laugh almost every day with something he says. I hear friends say how well we've done with him. All I've done is be a parent. Everything else, he's done."

He's smart, with a special fondness for history and Spanish. His memory is amazing. He claims to have some pretty fancy moves on the dance floor, and to the surprise of his dad, who said his son doesn't like to sweat, C.J. Newman is in his fourth season as a football player. He doesn't get into games much, but at other program levels, he once scored a touchdown, and sacked the opposing quarterback as a defensive player. His biggest moment, though, was being elected by his peers as homecoming king.

Newman was one of 10 boys and 10 girls with good citizenship nominated by faculty and staff. The senior class voted and narrowed the list to five boys and six girls (because of a tie), and the entire student body then voted.

Not to take anything away from the other candidates, no doubt all worthy young men, but spend even a brief time with Newman and it's easy to see how he came out on top.

It's not just the beautiful piercing blue eyes that draw you in to his welcoming face, or the hilarious way he recounts episodes from the History Channel, complete with character impersonations and narrated voice-overs. It's his ever-present smile, and the sweet, kind soul that is revealed as he talks with uninhibited enthusiasm about people and events in his life.

His biggest night ever - the first time he's ever been elected for anything - is seared in his memory: walking from the sideline to the 1955 Chevy convertible, riding with two princesses and hearing his name announced as the 2012 king.

"It was so awesome. I was so happy. My mom and dad were so proud," Newman said.

As Curtis Newman's tears flowed, unashamedly, his son told him, "I'm so happy that I became homecoming king that I'll never forget this night."

If any power came with his reign, he'd add barbecued ribs and sausage and pepperoni pizza to the school's lunch menu, but alas, he's a figure-head ruler.

Check that. He's that rare elected official who is caring, honest, and most importantly, inspirational.